Had my new xFire out this weekend and noticed a very bumpy ride on the interstate where the road turns to concrete. I know the road, and I never had this kind of "bumpiness" over these same roads with other cars. Is it the short wheelbase? Is it the tires, Continentals? Car has 22K on it. Any thoughts on this. It just seems strange on this car. Thanks.

 

Large rims with low profile tires (mainly this), along with a sportier suspension will cause a bumpy ride (or a stiffer ride). Most other car's tires have a larger sidewall to absorb most imperfections in the road, less sidewall = less forgiveness.

It's more the roads not being in good condition rather than the car.

 

I am not sure what you are use to but this car does not ride like your typical Mercedes; you will definitely feel the contours of the road it is a combination of the tight suspension, low profile tires, and short wheel base. Our Crossfire has the Michelin's and I think my wife's Mustang rides smoother, but hey it's a sports car is suppose to be tight.

 

My old 1986 Porsche 911 had 18" all around,which was not stock at all, but was not this bumpy. and, they came stock with 16". I was just surprised with the harshness of the ride compared to other cars of the same type.

 

maybe something is wrong with yours ? my xf rides nice compared to other similar cars ... very nice for 18/19 low profile tires.

 

My '05 6-speed with MP2s rides smooth on some roads and rough on others - it is very sensitive to the road surface. Lots of feedback like a good german car should.

Try some new asphalt and see how it rides - I am betting it is the roads - or maybe the Contis?

 

I know the "harsh ride" with low profile tires, and it could be the Conti's. And maybe its just a new car that I'm not used to yet, so let me ride a bit and get back to you on the outcome. Later.

 

well, depends on what car are you comparing with. Crossfire just like most typical sport cars with tight suspension and low profile tires, so you can feel more on the road than other passenger cars. However, the crossfire ride is not that bad actually, many other sport cars, say the nissan Z, is even worse than that.

 

Your problem = short wheel base. Thats why longer cars ride better. Short wheelbase cars are known for their "bouciness" on less than perfect expansion joints (read: concrete freeway).

 

On the shytty New England roads I travel on, my coupe bounces & jounces all over. Sometimes I long for the perfectly smooth, flat roads of Florida. If I wasn't so completely smitten with my Xfire, I would have opted for a soft-riding sedan long ago. Sports cars like Xfires really like good roads.

 

Used to have a C-5 and those cars were awful on crappy pavement. Hit a bump in the road once with it and the gas gauge stopped working. Luckily it went back on when I shut the car off and restarted it. I drive some really bad roads in Brooklyn on the way to work and the car isn't bad at all.

 

On I-355 in the Chicago area, it is like a driving over on of those old washboards you used to see. Other roads are bad too, but as soon as I got this car I noticed it. It's better now that I changed from the Michelin's to Yokohama's.